At 53 years old, Oliver Clarke lives a life of extreme physical limitation and financial struggle.
The son of the late, celebrated entertainer Lord Radio (Oliver Broomes), Clarke is a quadruple amputee who is paralysed from the waist down and has lost vision in his right eye.
Confined to his bed and unable to sit in his wheelchair for more than a few minutes without support, Clarke’s daily reality is shaped by a series of severe medical complications that began over a decade ago.
His medical history is deeply tied to a hereditary battle with diabetes, a disease that also claimed the lives of both of his parents. His physical decline began in 2011, when he went to the hospital for a cracked toe. During that visit, he was diagnosed with osteomyelitis.
‘Remove a toe’
“They said they’re going to remove the toe. One toe, to the next toe, to the next. All in one week,” Clarke said during a recent interview.
Over the following years, the infections necessitated the progressive amputation of both his legs. He now faces the possibility of losing even more of his right leg.
The loss of his left hand occurred under different, but equally challenging, circumstances.
Last year, while living alone at his Grazettes, St Michael home, he was frying fish and his wheelchair struck the stove, causing a pan of hot oil to fall towards his paralysed legs. Clarke used his hand to push the pan away, sustaining severe burns.
He was taken to the hospital, where an infection developed. Doctors initially told him they would only need to amputate from the wrist down. However, when he woke up from surgery, his arm had been amputated much higher.
Today, Clarke, who said that he has had 48 medical procedures, requires round-theclock care. As a result of swelling that places pressure on his spine, kidneys and urinary tract, he relies on a catheter and needs caregivers to physically turn him in bed.
The former watchman for the Child Care Board is now entirely dependent on a small fixed income and the goodwill of others.
He receives $1 000 a month from the National Insurance and Social Securrity Service, but $200 is deducted for a loan, leaving him with $800. He also receives an irregular $260 monthly welfare grant in the form of vouchers, which he said he had not received for the past 17 weeks.
To manage his daily needs, a mother and daughter have been acting as his primary caregivers, but only since January when his situation became more acute.
Clarke estimates he owes them over $10 000 for their help with cleaning, meals, and turning him during the night.
The financial strain means he frequently goes without basic necessities. He needs adult diapers, wipes, and cooling pads, but his remaining income barely covers his utility bills. His refrigerator and cupboards are currently empty, he said.
“Some days I got to do without medication because I have to choose between something to eat or medication,” Clarke said as the tears rolled down his face.
His current diet consists primarily of ramen noodles, tuna, and sardines. On the day of the interview, he had only eaten a slice of cake by noon.
‘Black Jesus’
The situation is a stark contrast to the life Clarke once lived. Once known in the Pine, St Michael community for his generosity, he frequently bought groceries and paid bills for single mothers and the elderly.
“This hurts me because I used to help a lot of people when I was on my feet,” he said. “People used to call me black Jesus.”
Seeking additional assistance, Clarke said he tried to reach the Office of the Prime Minister, as his parliamentary representative, to request help with basic home repairs and yard maintenance but had been unable to get through.
“I want the Prime Minister to visit me,” he said as he complained that he was being blocked from speaking to his representative.
Following inquiries from the DAILY NATION, Minister of People Empowerment Adrian Forde outlined the Government’s current involvement in Clarke’s care.
Forde noted that Clarke already receives state-provided home help in the mornings, as well as a companion from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week.
Regarding the debt Clarke claimed he owed his caregivers, Forde pointed out that the man revealed that the mother and daughter provide their services free of charge out of the goodness of their hearts, alternating weeks.
‘Good conscience’
“He told me that he gets all these things but . . . they have charged him no money for doing this,” Forde said. “They have done it from the goodness of their heart but he says out of good conscience he has decided to give them something.”
Forde said he offered Clarke the option of moving into a Government-run care facility, but he declined.
“He told me in no uncertain terms he is not willing to do that,” Forde said. To help alleviate the immediate financial pressure, Forde confirmed that the ministry intervened with additional support.
“After conversation with the social workers and the director, we have decided to give him the equivalent of $600 a month in food vouchers, which will help offset the price of his expenses and the pampers,” Forde said.
“He also asked for a stove, which we will provide.” (MB)